Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Chalkboard Cabinets

You ain't nuthin' if you don't have a chalkboard.  At least that's certainly how it seems according to the world wide net web.  So, I started pondering how I could go about getting one.  Two problems: My kitchen (where I wanted the chalkboard) has almost zero wall space, and buying all the materials to make it was turning out to be kind of expensive!  I'm going to assume you already read the title, so it's not like you're racking your brain like I was, so I'll skip to the part where it hit me...of course!  My cabinet doors.  In a tiny kitchen, things need to double duty...pull your weight, cabinets!

So here's where we started.  Pretty standard set up.

 I grabbed a quart of Valspar chalkboard paint from Lowe's (which I'll admit was a bit more expensive than I thought necessary - $15!) but had everything else on hand.  Don't ask why I have teal painters tape.  It's nothing special...just the first roll I happened upon.  It may be for delicate surfaces?  Whatever.  It did the job.


I despise taping edges.  Which is why most of the edges of my house aren't perfect.  But I thought I could handle two cabinet backs.  So here one is in all of its taped glory.

Then I used my brush for the edges, and rolled the middle.  The first coat wasn't anything to write home about.


I waited an hour, then tried again.  Coat number two did the trick.


While the second coat was still wet, I took off the tape.  I then waited about twenty-four hours to let it cure.  Next up was conditioning it.  I just used the side of a piece of chalk and went over the surface really well.



And that's it!  I like to use chalk pens to write on them since it's so much easier...the only drawback is the chalk pen doesn't always come off with just a wet paper towel...you may have to scrub just a little bit with a magic eraser.  Worth it in my book.



Super easy and super quick....you should try it!  What other purpose are the backs of your cabinets serving?  You're going to love it, and in turn, love me.  Win-win.

3 comments:

  1. Well, if that is this weeks menu...I am definately coming over! ;)

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  2. You should double check the first thing on your to-do list. :)

    ReplyDelete